five years!

We celebrated our fifth anniversary a couple weekends ago. We went to San Diego for four days and three nights. It was SO nice! We left Katey with Nana and Tata (thanks mom and dad!). We stayed in a hostel hotel that was right downtown so we were able to walk just about everywhere. The rooms were tiny (as you can see in this picture) and the bathrooms were down the hall, but it was super affordable and in a perfect location! After we got used to the smallness, it was rather cozy!

We went to a Padres game at the new stadium on Saturday night. I think that was the highlight of the trip for Jason. It was really fun to go, we haven't been to a major league game in a long time! The stadium was beautiful, right in the heart of downtown. Pretty cool!
Here we are, exactly five years from our wedding! What an incredible five years it's been! Can't wait for the next five!
Enjoying a little Starbucks! We sat at the counter for probably a half hour so I could rest my tired feet! We walked a LOT, which was really nice to be able to do, but being seven months pregnant, my feet got extra tired!
Our last dinner at a restaurant on the beach. We miss the beach a lot so it was nice to go back for a while. Also, we had come from 110+ weather in Vegas to 72 in San Diego. That was a nice break!

st. george, utah

Towards the end of June we went up to St. George, UT to spend the weekend with some of my family. We went to Zion National Park on Saturday.

Katey and Jason enjoyed some time in the pool with the cousins. Kate was really brave and was jumping off the edge to Jason.

The resort we stayed at had a really nice game room. Here's my mom and 90-year-old grandma playing air hockey!

Katey didn't really get regular naps while we were there. In fact, the first night there she didn't go to sleep until 2:30ish in the morning (which means neither did we!). So this is what happened when Jason was holding her at the table. She konked out! This doesn't happen very often!

It was a nice weekend to spend with family. Thanks mom and dad for the great room and food!

Happy Dada's Day!

We didn't do a whole lot for Father's Day but we did get Jason a couple cd's he's been wanting. Kate helped him open his present! Then after church we went to Wing Stop for lunch. Yum, yum!

finally....tumbling class pics!

Yes, we remembered the camera for Katey's last tumbling class! She loved her little class! They always had us start out by singing little songs.

Practicing somersaults!

Walking the balance beam!

And her favorite, the slide!

We also had a time of playing with one of those big parachutes. She didn't like that very much though. She was kinda scared of it!

She did like snack time though! She's the one at the end, eagerly waiting for it to be her turn!

51s baseball game

A week or so ago, we went to a Minor League baseball game with Jason's work. It was a lot of fun, though Katey was a little craze!

I think the wierd look on her face is because she's eating a cracker...

Yummy Recipe

I found this recipe the other day in one of my Taste of Home Simple and Delicious magazines (this is a really great cooking magazine) and decided to give it a try. It actually turned out pretty good. So here it is for any of you who want to try it.

Herbed Artichoke Cheese Tortellini
1 can Italian diced tomatoes
1 jar (6 1/2 oz) marinated artichoke hearts
1 package (9 oz) cheese tortellini
1 c chopped onion
1/4 c minced fresh parsley
1-2 T minced fresh basil
1 t minced garlic
1/4 t dried oregano
dash of crushed red pepper
1/4 c olive oil
1 can sliced black olives
1/4 t salt
parmesan cheese

Drain tomatoes, reserve 1/3 cup of juice; set aside. Drain artichokes, reserve 1/2 cup juice; chop and set aside.

Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, saute onions, parsley, garlic, oregano and pepper flakes in oil for 4-5 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomatoe juice and artichoke liquid.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes or until slightly thickened. Drain tortellini; add to tomato mixture. Stir in olives, salt and artichokes; heat through. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Our little Bible study!

Well, we started our own little home Bible study this Tuesday. It's something that we've talked about for a long time now and finally just decided to do it. We're going through the book Holiness by J.C. Ryle. Jason's leading the discussion (he did a really great job on Tuesday night too!). So far it's pretty little but we just really miss our time of fellowship that we used to have from our Bible study back in Cali, SCV. Our desire is to encourage one another in reading this book on how to live holier lives. So many times we start books and then never finish them. Hopefully this will help us finish the book!

Smarter than we think!

The other day Jason was in the card aisle at Walmart with Katey picking out a Congrats card. He was holding Kate and she kept saying something like "'Anna'" over and over. I walked up in time to hear her saying this. Then I looked at where she was looking. Behind Jason there was a row of Hannah Montana cards. She was saying "Hannah." I must confess to Hannah Montana being one of our favorite tv shows, however, we haven't watched it in several weeks and we own no Hannah Montana products. She never ceases to amaze us with how much she knows. Most of the time we don't even know she knows it!

Pray for the Laird family!

On Saturday night I got this email from Bret Laird (his wife is one of my good friends from college, Katey Laird, used to be Wycoff).

Dear Prayer Team,

Sorry I was unable to get this e-mail out sooner, but we have been traveling and making funeral arrangements non-stop over the past couple days. Most of you have probably already heard by now that my younger brother Drew was called home to be with the Lord on May 27, 2008. He was swimming in a lap pool at a fitness center in Denver, which was a daily routine for him as he prepared for some strenuous military qualification tests. He was found unconscious, and attempts to revive him were not successful. He will be deeply, deeply missed.

Please pray for his wife Natalie, who is 7 months pregnant with their second child, and for his 2 and 1/2 year old son Caeden.

We rejoice that from a very young age, Drew walked with God and was an incredible evangelist. He would share Christ with people wherever he went, and there will be many souls who will follow him to heaven. I truly believe he witnessed to more people in his short 25 years than most Christians do in 75. He finished the work which His Lord had given to him to do, and is now at rest in the presence of His Savior.

Please be in fervent prayer for the memorial service, which will be held tomorrow (Sunday, June 1) at 3:00pm at Riverside Baptist Church in Denver. We expect between 1,000 and 2,500 people, many of whom will be unsaved friends and military personnel. My brother Chad, my father Alden, and I will all be sharing briefly from Scripture as part of the service, and a gospel tract with Drew's picture and favorite verse on it will be given to all who come.

Our prayer is that God would use Drew's death to bring many other souls from death to life.

Mourning with Hope,
Bret

Please remember this family in your prayers, especially Natalie and their two babies. My heart is so heavy for them. It has been such a blessing to see how the family has responded to this tragedy. What a difference it makes to have the hope of Christ and heaven. Still, we can only imagine the pain and heartache that Natalie is suffering right now.

Dumb batteries!

So this Saturday we had Katey's next to last tumbling class. I've been meaning to bring the camera for some pics but I keep forgetting. Well, I finally remembered it this Saturday because after her class we were going to meet some friends out at Lake Mead and I wanted the camera for there too. Wouldn't you know, I took one picture at her class (it wasn't even a good one) and then the batteries died. And yes, the extra batteries were at home, dead. *sigh*. I know this is my fault but what a bummer! Oh well, I still have one more Saturday to take some tumbling pictures. Hopefully I can remember, what with my pregnancy fogged mind!